The Paper Problem

The school year is coming to an end. As a teacher, I watch a lot of supplies get tossed without so much as a blink from my students. One of my biggest pet peeves: those spiral-bound notebooks. I wonder what the probability is that a student will actually end the school year on the very last page in their spiral...What does happen is that students end up with a bunch of half-used spiral notebooks by the end of the year: one for math, reading, maybe social studies. So on the last day of school, the notebooks get pitched, along with about 100 sheets of unused paper.

Okay, first: waste prevention. If possible, don't use spiral notebooks. Instead, buy loose-leaf paper and use a clipboard or a binder. Not only will you have exactly the right amount of pages, but you're not wasting that piece of spirally metal. In college, using a clipboard in lectures was handy. When I got back to the dorm, I just put the notes I took in each class in the appropriate binder.

For old half-used spirals you have laying around...What I've done is actually take the time to snip away the metal spiral. I used metal cutters and removed the spiral piece. Then I used the paper in my clipboard. This avoids tearing out all the pages and having the paper bits everywhere.

Do you have a great end of the school year green tip?

Have Garbage, Will Travel (with it)

Recycling can sound so easy. But what keeps people from doing it? I think it's convenience--or lack of it. Just the other day I was eating a sample at Jamba Juice that came in a tiny plastic cup. When I finished, I asked if they recycled--they didn't. Here's where I think people feel they have no choice but to toss that piece of plastic in the garbage: when there's no recycling bin in site. There is another option--take it with you. The container I had was just a tiny one intended for condiments and only had a soft pretzel in it. I easily set it on the floor of my car and drove off with it. Sounds silly? Sure, but I've done it many times. Once I'm at home, I drop my recyclable trash in my recycling bin--easy as that.

Is it always possible to recycle everything? No. If I've eaten something especially messy, I might not want to have it in my car and do end up tossing it in a garbage, but most times, it's definitely doable.

This is not only true for food containers, but papers as well: shopping lists, MapQuests, etc. So next time you're out and about and see no recycling bin in site, think about whether you can take it with you.

Happy Birthday, Earth! Love, Cow

I am so excited--today is earth day. I wanted to get it a present. I thought, What can I get the earth? It already has everything. It has trees, and rivers, and popcorn, and ice cream. So I decided to make it something it had never seen before: a pickle juice cake!

I bought some banana cake mix. I squashed some pickles, picked out the seeds, and poured the juice in with the eggs. I mixed it around with a stick until it was nice and green. Next, I put it in a cake pan. Then I thought, the sun can help cook it--then it's a present from the sun and me. So I set it out on the driveway. And waited. And waited. Nothing happened.

A squirrel came by, sniffed my cake, and ran away. Then some flies and a bee buzzed by. Everyone was excited about my cake!

Hours later, I got hungry and went inside to eat. I watched some tv, took a nap, read a book. Then I remembered my cake! I ran to the window to find it was pouring out. I put on my galoshes and raincoat and ran outside to find a pleasant surprise: the earth had eaten my pickle juice cake! The pan was completely cleaned out! I was so happy to know the earth liked my cake. I knew I had better come up with something spectacular for next year. Hmmm, maybe I will make a pickle and peanut butter pizza... Happy Earth Day!

Hamburger, Hold Everything I Won't Eat

Happy Earth day. As a teacher, I've been asked what I plan to do with my class. Although we won't ignore it, I don't consider earth day a one day a year phenomenon. That's like saying today is math day. We'll learn math today and not worry about it the rest of the year. Instead, I hope that my class has been learning how to cut down on the waste we produce and sometimes reuse it or recycle it. Here's my tip this week...


Think about a meal you often order when eating out. Imagine what your plate looks like at the end of the meal--what's still left on the plate, week after week: the tomato on your cheeseburger? the lettuce from your buffalo chicken sandwich? the tartar sauce from your fish sticks? For the most part, we know what we'll like and won't like from a restaurant, especially if you order the same dish repeatedly. How about requesting the items you know you won't eat be left off the plate?


If you're trying a new dish or restaurant, you can also ask what comes with the dish or as a garnish. Although it might take the cook an extra millisecond to read the order, really, having them hold the side of sour cream is also saving them money.

Animal Rescues

How many of you watched Oprah on puppy mills this last Friday? Very sad and eye opening. As you may have gathered, I have a pet guinea pig. Did you know that in addition to shelters and rescues for dogs and cats, there are guinea pig and bunny rescues?

About five years ago I heard about Critter Corral, a local rescue for guinea pigs. This non-profit organization takes in guinea pigs people don't or can't keep and ones that have been abandoned. Believe it or not, some people think domestic animals can just be left loose in the wild. I adopted two guinea pigs from Critter Corral: Melba Toast and B.B. Joe. Melba came from owners that got rid of her because they had too many. B.B.'s family moved and didn't want to take him with them.

It is surprising how many guinea pigs don't have homes and end up in shelters. What makes me sad is that pet stores continue to buy small animals, such as guinea pigs, rats, hamsters, etc., from breeders. Unfortunately, not all of them sell and then end up at shelters (or worse). This is especially true for guinea pigs (and probably other small mammals) that are all one color (especially albinos) and ones that are older and bigger.

What can we do to make a difference? Adopt animals from shelters/rescues instead of pet stores. If pet stores aren't selling many animals, maybe they'll stop carrying them. You can also help by having your pet spade or neutered. If you're interested in seeing or having a puppy, kitten, or baby guinea pig, you'll find plenty of those at the shelter as well. Many organizations also allow you to sponsor a pet. At the Critter Corral, by giving a donation, you are sent a picture of a guinea pig you sponsor. This would be great for children who aren't ready to have a pet of their own.

A terrific animal website to peruse is petfinder.com. It allows you to search for an adoptable pet by location, animal, size of animal, etc.

DeJunktify Your Home

So I just had a dentist appointment yesterday (and no cavities--yay!). As a child, at the end of your dentist appt. you get to pull something fun (but junky) from the treasure chest. As an adult, you get a bag of goodies: a toothbrush, maybe a tiny tube of toothpaste, and a thing of floss. As you leave the dentist's office (or any dr.'s office), there is also usually a little basket of free samples. How many times did you take some of the samples? How many times did you really use those samples vs. letting them rot on a shelf full of other mini toiletries? Right now I'm going to count what I can find on my shelf within one minute--be right back...

...I'm back. So, what I found were 10 toothbrushes (I might have purchased 2 or so but the rest were free) .

So this time I took a stand: as the dental hygienist began to hand me my bag of free stuff, I flipped through it and took the only thing I really saw as valuable--the floss (they have the absolute best and is pretty much the only reason I agree to have my teeth cleaned twice a year). Since I own an electric toothbrush, do I really need a regular toothbrush EVERY time I visit the dentist? That goes for free samples at "checkout time" as well. I already like the toothpaste I use--I don't need some new funky flavor to try.

By refusing free stuff, not only am I helping reduce the waste that's produced in the world, but I'm also clearing the clutter in my house. Anyone need an extra toothbrush?

The Plane as the Plot

Did you realize how many different microcosms there are at the airport? Think back to your last trip and all the different situations you face at the airport. Waiting in line behind a family that is cranky, balancing a bagel on your lap as you try to butter it and your flight is called, the bathrooms.
Now imagine all the stories (or nonfiction articles) you could write based on those situations:
a child's first plane ride
how to eat healthy at the airport

Add to that any "What if..." scenarios you can and you have enough ideas for a year:
What if a dog was flying alone--as a passenger
What if you got on the wrong flight and ended up on the moon

Here's your exercise: Make a list of as many different possible stories you can think of that could happen at an airport or on an airplane. Or, if you're not in the mood for plots, make a list of as many different settings at an airport or character ideas as you can.